Within three weeks of the Oct. 8, 2017, wildfire that destroyed URJ Camp Newman, a site to hold their 2018 summer camp was located. The Union for Reform Judaism camp will convene at the California State University Maritime Academy in Vallejo, about an hour southwest of theSanta Rosa camp. “We have exclusive use of the…
By Jane Larkin I recently discovered the secret to motivating my son to go to religious school. I stumbled upon it. Hours after Hebrew school last Tuesday while we were eating dinner, my son spilled the beans. “I had a really bad sinus headache at school this afternoon and felt crummy. I almost went…
By Amy Beth Starr Like many parents, for me this time of year signifies both an overwhelming sense of relief (Yesss! No more homework or projects!) and stress (What am I going to do with Roxy and Everett all summer?!?). This year has presented unique challenges for my family because I now work from home and can’t…
Day Camps BB DAY CAMP PORTLAND Located at Congregation Beth Israel 1972 NW Flanders, Portland, OR 97210 503-496-7447 bbcamp.org/portland Located at Congregation Beth Israel in Northwest Portland, BB Day Camp offers a warm and welcoming camp experience filled with art, dance, water play, martial arts, gymnastics, music, Jewish enrichment, and Shabbat celebrations for campers…
PHOTO: While visiting camps and meeting camp leaders in Oregon, Foundation for Jewish Camp CEO Jeremy Fingerman stopped by to see an old friend, Rabbi Joshua Stampfer, who officiated at Jeremy’s 1973 bar mitzvah in Jerusalem. Jeremy says, “I brought with me the Tanakh which Rabbi Stampfer inscribed to me as follows many years ago: ‘Presented…
MJCC adds Counselor in Training Program This summer the Mittleman Jewish Community Center Day Camp will add a Counselor in Training program for students entering seventh to ninth grade. CIT campers can sign up for one or more weeks of the CIT program, which was created to offer 21st-century skill building to teens, helping…
Camp Solomon Schechter’s new executive director, Zach Duitch, wants to use his extensive professional ties to help the Jewish camp and Pacific Northwest Jewish communities strengthen their bond and strengthen each other. Zach has strong ties to CSS, having been a camper there for seven years, a counselor-in-training one year and a staff member for…
A new day camp in Portland this summer will combine the resources and rituals of B’nai B’rith Camp, the beautiful campus of Congregation Beth Israel and the experience of a former Stephen Wise Temple camp director. From June 25 to Aug. 17, BB Day Camp will offer eight one-week sessions of day camp for children…
On Jan. 30 the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation held its first advocacy workshop for students in 6-12th grades. Entitled Hope in Action, the session brought together 11 students to learn how to be an effective advocate for oneself and one’s community, as well as how to plan meetings with stakeholders and communicate with elected…
PHOTO: Teens and staff from Pinwheel USY, which encompasses the Pacific Northwest region, pose for a group photo at USY International Convention 2017 in Chicago. Photo by Jo-Anne Tucker Zemlak, USCJ Five Portland teens were among the nearly 1,000 Jewish teenagers, educators, staff and alumni who gathered in Chicago at the United Synagogue Youth…
